Worship Design Collective
1) Leading Worship in the Midst of Tragedy
While tragedies and sorrows aren’t always on the national or international levels, there are always people in our congregations who come to worship carrying heavy personal burdens. Here are some ways God can use you as you lead your congregations in difficult seasons.
2) 5 Songwriting Tips For Congregational Worship
There are so many wonderful songs used every week in worship services, but even with the ocean of choices, there are times when nothing really seems to embody what your local congregation is trying to say. Grab your guitar or sit down at the piano and go to work!
3) Rhythms of Love: Why Saying the Same Thing Over and Over Can be Good
One of the common refrains among those who don’t practice a traditional worship liturgy is the idea that repeating things in worship is bad. Patrick Bourckel looks at the ways in which we often discount repetitive liturgies, and offer some gentle pushback on those concepts.
Youth Ministry Collective
1) How do you Involve Teens in the Larger Life of the Church? (Episode 40)
It’s important to involve teenagers in the life of the larger church. Find out some great ways that the collective is making that work.
I’m often asked in youth ministry circles, what curriculum do use for Sunday School? I answer, we don’t have Sunday School. The response, how did you do it? Answer: I offered something else and Sunday School died.
3) How to Ruin a Talk with Video
Love it or hate it, I think it’s safe to assume technology is here to stay. As we process what this means for our talks, presentations, and other situations in which clarity is key, here are five definite ways to ruin a talk with a video clip.
Soul Care Collective
1) The Idol of Being Different
In our society, being different seems to garner praise. But, could this be an idol in our lives? Duke Walker muses on the issue of considering being different as a goal to achieve and what it might mean if we lay aside our differences and share what we have in common – a driving need for God’s love.
2) The One Who is Never Quite Good Enough
Do you know someone who is always obsessed with his or her sin and can never seem to accept forgiveness? Kathy Milans explains that your friend may actually be suffering from a psychiatric disorder known as scrupulosity and that there is help for this problem.
3) The Weekly Breather: Walking with Jesus
A holy imagination is an indispensable gift. Some of the deepest wounds and darkest sins can be overcome by inviting Jesus into the memory or situation. Stop. Breathe. Be. Sometimes we all need a breather. The Soul Care Collective invites you to take a moment to encounter God in the stillness as you enter into a rhythm of breathing and being that will not only reveal the longings of your heart, but satisfy the deepest of them.
Preaching Collective
Getting back to school in August and September is a common shift in the rhythm of most church programming calendars. It is a natural time to deepen existing ministries, start new groups, and launch new programs. This window of opportunity can also apply to our preaching.
2) 5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Sermon Preparation
How can a pastor make the most of limited sermon preparation time? There is no one right amount of time to spend in working on a message, but whether they are able to spend a lot of time or not, every pastor wants to maximize the impact of their sermon preparation time.
3) The Big Question: What do you preach when something major happens in the news?
Welcome to “Big Questions,” a recurring feature on the Preaching Collective, where we will look at the big questions that preachers face on a weekly basis. We’ll ask a panel of our practitioners and invite you to respond as well.